Telecom companies won a victory in the battle over "Net neutrality"
Tuesay after a U.S. appeals court invalidated regulations from the FCC
that banned carriers from favoring traffic from certain sources.

Those
FCC rules were meant to force broadband providers to treat all Internet
traffic equally — essentially making it impossible for them to charge
companies for a faster route into people's homes.

The FCC's "Open Internet Order" has long been supported by President Barack Obama, who, according to a 2010 White House statement,
was "strongly committed to Net neutrality in order to keep an open
Internet that fosters investment, innovation, consumer choice, and free
speech."

Now, the door is open for companies like AT&T,
Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile to create a tiered Internet, where those
who can pay the most can utilize the fastest connections, while others
are stuck transmitting information at slower speeds. A ban on completely
blocking certain Internet traffic sources was also overturned.

How did the court come to its decision? Ruling for Verizon,
it said that the FCC couldn't impose those regulations because it
failed to classify broadband providers as "common carriers," which are
private companies that provide infrastructure services that are easily
monopolized — for example, telephone or power companies.

The FCC,
however, classified broadband providers as "information services," like
Google and other Internet companies, which are subject to less
stringent regulations.

Thanks to that distinction, the court ruled
that the FCC had overstepped its authority with the Open Internet
Order, a decision that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler disagrees with.

In a statement released Tuesday,
Wheeler said he agreed instead with a previous ruling that the FCC has
"authority to enact measures encouraging the deployment of broadband
infrastructure" and that the agency would "consider all available
options, including those for appeal, to ensure that these networks on
which the Internet depends continue to provide a free and open platform
for innovation and expression, and operate in the interest of all
Americans."

We're four days away from the celestial event of a lifetime, a total solar eclipse stretching coast to coast. For two minutes and 40 seconds, Hopkinsville will be the prime place to watch it. Businesses are up and celebrating in their own unique ways.

We're four days away from the celestial event of a lifetime, a total solar eclipse stretching coast to coast. For two minutes and 40 seconds, Hopkinsville will be the prime place to watch it. Businesses are up and celebrating in their own unique ways.